April 30, 2009

My recent guidebook Daytrips Austria has several one-day mountain adventures that are easy to take and require no mountaineering skills. In fact, anyone in good health can do them, but they're still a lot of fun and take you high into the Alps.

Trip 23

Innsbruck

Ascent of the Hafelekar

Here’s a trip that can be as comfortable as you desire – or as challenging. The Hafelekar mountain peak towers some 7,658 feet (2,334 meters) above Innsbruck and is easily reached by cable car for a staggering view across the Alps. Along the way is the highest zoo in Europe. Several rest stops feature places to eat and drink while basking in the glorious sights. Once at the top, you might take either a short walk along a civilized trail, or test your skills at real hiking for a short distance. Or just sit there gazing at the mountains.

The rugged Hafelekar is one of the highest peaks of the Nordkette (North Chain), a part of the Karwendel Range of the Alps. It has an overwhelming presence for the people of Innsbruck, dominating every northward view from downtown streets. These are true Alpine mountains — jagged, rugged peaks often covered with snow – that will reward even the most novice hiker with a real Alpine experience.

GETTING THERE:

This trip begins inside Innsbruck, with a choice of three transportation modes. The newest is to take the Hungerburgbahn from the Congress Innsbruck (Convention Center)(1) on Rennweg just north of the Hofburg. This modern funicular railway runs underground to the Löwenhaus, then crosses a spectacular bridge, and travels underground to the first stop, the Alpenzoo. It then continues to the Hungerburg stop, where you transfer to a cable car. The elegantly modern system, first opened in late 2007, was designed by the noted architect Zaha Hadid.

Another option is to take Route 2 of the Sightseer Bus from Maria Theresien Strasse to the Alpenzoo, then continue by Hungerburgbahn to Hungerburg and the cable car, or get there via a footpath.

The third option is to take City Bus W from Marktplatz to the Alpenzoo, then continue as above.

You will return via the same route.

PRACTICALITIES:

Bring along a jacket and/or sweater, even in summer, as it can be quite cool (or even snowing) at the summit. Those planning to take the short walk will need good walking shoes; for the longer trek real hiking boots are more appropriate, along with a trail map. Of course, if you’re not going farther than the upper cable car station, ordinary shoes and attire will suffice.

If you are taking the long hike, be sure to check the weather forecast first, keep an eye on the clouds, have enough clothing to keep you warm in case of a sudden storm, and be prepared to turn back quickly in that event. Experienced hikers have died on this trail due to sudden weather changes.

Restaurant Seegrube (at the Seegrube cable car station) Both full service and cafeteria dining, indoors with a view or out on the sun terrace. T: (0512) 293-375. €, €€, and €€€

During the summer season the Hafelekar Mountain Lodge at the upper cable car station also operates a restaurant, with casual indoor/outdoor dining.

SUGGESTED TOUR:

Numbers in parentheses correspond to numbers on the map.

Begin your tour by taking any one of the three transit options to the Alpenzoo (2), or drive there. The brand-new Hungerburgbahn Funicular starts at the Congress (Convention Center)(1) on Rennweg, just above the Hofburg in central Innsbruck. Runs weekdays 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., weekends and holidays 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Roundtrip €€, combo ticket including Alpenzoo and cable cars to Hafelekar available.

Europe’s highest zoo features wildlife of the Alps, with over 2,000 animals and birds representing some 150 different species. Among them are bears, ibexes, moose, rodents, reptiles, amphibians, and vultures. There is also a cold-water aquarium teeming with fish native to the region.

Return to the funicular and continue your uphill journey to Hungerburg. At the upper station you cross the street to the lower station (Talstation) of the Nordkettenbahn cable car (3), first built in 1927 but recently modernized. This will lift you in minutes to an elevation of 6,250 feet (1,905 meters) at Seegrube (4), from which you will get excellent panoramic views of Innsbruck and its valley. There is a good restaurant and cafeteria here, with both indoor and outdoor dining. Several hiking trails lead off, offering the possibilities of a short walk.

Now for the real climb. Board the steep cable car for Hafelekar (5), whose upper station (Bergstation) is at the dizzying height of 7,400 feet (2,256 meters), with a nearly vertical fall. The peak (Hafelekarspitze) is just 256 feet (78 meters) above this. Again, there is a restaurant and snack bar, this one open in the summer season only. Visitors can also inspect (from the outside) the research station operated by Victor Franz Hess (1883-1964), who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1936 for his discovery of cosmic radiation. You can then opt to just enjoy the stupendous *view, or you might go for a hike or shorter walk.

A short walk leads from the cable car station towards the east along the Goetheweg path (marked as #219), soon turning left up the east ridge to the Hafelekarspitze (6), then back down to the cable car. This should take about 45 minutes to complete.

A longer hike begins on the same Goetheweg path (marked as #219), but instead of turning left for the peak, contine on in the direction of Pfeishütte (7). You probably won’t get as far as that Alpine hut before turning back, but you will enjoy incomparable views to the south extending as far as the Europabrücke, Europe’s highest highway bridge, and beyond into Italy. Watch your time — it’s a 4½-hour roundtrip trek if you go all the way to the hut. Long before then, the trail passes to the north side of the ridge, with an entirely different landscape looking north into Germany.

Return to the cable car station to begin the trip back into Innsbruck. Mountain goats and experienced climbers might want to hike back as far as Hungerburg (3) by following the steep Arzler Reisse trail down a rubble-strewn gully.

April 29, 2009

1066 And All That! Here's another sample chapter from Elizabeth Wallace's travel book Extraordinary Places … Close to London, which takes readers to some 30 truly exceptional destinations in Southeast England. She has graciously consented to my posting whole chapters from the book here on my blog, so enjoy!

Battle

On October 14, 1066, life in England changed forever. The Britons, accustomed as they were to invasions from Vikings as well as internal rivalry between its earls, now faced their most formidable opponent. The Duke of Normandy, otherwise known as William the Bastard, had amassed an army to invade England and take its crown as his own. William believed the sovereignty had been unjustly taken from him after his distant cousin, Edward the Confessor, had died. King Harold, his two brothers, Leofwine and Gyrth, their castle guards and thousands of knights and foot soldiers met the duke on Senlac ridge. Harold’s men were tired. They had marched 195 miles north to fight King Hardrada of Norway at Stamford Bridge and then turned southward and fast marched 250 miles to defend their beloved king and country.

King Edward the Confessor was dying and with no heir. The Witan, a group of wise men whose primary duty was to advise the king, met to decide who should be his successor. There were several candidates, including the Duke of Normandy who was related by marriage. He had a legitimate claim but he was a foreigner and the Witan felt they needed to look closer to home. They believed their prayers were answered when the dying king took Harold’s hand and said, “…I also commend to you those men who have left their native land for love of me and served me faithfully. Take an oath of fealty from them if they wish, and protect and retain them…” With these words, the Witan believed the king had voiced his wishes that Harold should succeed him and they planned the coronation of the new king.

A military man, Harold was over 40 years of age and his devotion to the king was well known. He was not of royal blood but his military prowess, proven so often on the battlefield, was legendary. He was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey on January 6, 1066, but it would be a short-lived reign. His style of commanding men was very different from his predecessor, who had never traveled far from home and was out of touch with his armies. When Harold heard that people living in Northumbria did not accept his sovereignty, he took a small party of men and traveled north to meet with them and gain their loyalty. The earls of Northumbria were amazed by the king’s visit and pledged their fealty, which would be desperately needed in the months to come.

According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, a “long haired star” appeared in the sky on April 24, and shone there for 7 nights. This was seen as an ill omen by the king’s astrologers but if Harold was disturbed by it, he did not show his concern and simply continued with the duties of state.

It was not long before news came that William, Duke of Normandy, was building ships and amassing an army. The ominous threat of an invasion had been rumored for months but now the king’s sources told him an attack was imminent.

The battle at Stamford Bridge on September 25, 1066 against the king of Norway was victorious for the British army but they had little time to celebrate, as news came that William intended to land at Pevensey. Harold had marched his army 195 miles north in five days to battle the Norwegian king and now the threat came from the south coast of England. He immediately turned his army around and fast marched southward to Pevensey, a distance of 250 miles. The trek was accomplished in 13 days, an unbelievable military maneuver for those times.

William landed on the coastline of Pevensey and marched approximately 6 miles inland. Waiting to meet him, Harold and his men took the advantage on Senlac ridge a natural, defensive position. As day broke on October 14, the two armies faced each other. The English had a distinct advantage with 11,000 troops against possibly only 8,000 Norman soldiers. The Norman army used their expert archers to fill the sky with waves of arrows that pierced the English troops’ armor and they dropped in the hundreds. Still, the English were able to advance and counterattack. If Harold had taken a more disciplined and strategic approach at this point, he may well have won the battle. Instead, his weary men chased a group of Norman knights and by doing so, left their posts unguarded. William, seeing this tactical advantage, gave signals to his knights to appear as though they were retreating. The English soldiers once again took off after the Norman knights leaving their positions undefended. It was not long before both flanks of the English army were in complete disarray and vulnerable to attacks from the rear.

Some have said that Harold’s life was taken by a small band of Norman knights who stormed the defensive lines and hacked Harold to death, but the most common belief is that he died from an arrow in the eye. Perhaps both theories are correct because his body was so badly mutilated that his wife Edith had to identify him by personal marks on his body.

The famous Bayeux tapestry (portion depicting Harold's death, right) fully describes the battle on Senlac ridge and its aftermath. The tapestry was most likely inspired and commissioned by Bishop Odo, William’s half-brother, in 1070. The bishop was given a good part of Kent as a reward for his services, but he was a cruel and ambitious man who soon fell out of favor with William. The type of stitches and colors of yarn that were used indicates the local women of Kent probably made the tapestry. There are over 70 scenes of shipbuilding, farming and other everyday activities providing a valuable, detailed account of everyday life during those times. The tapestry was badly treated for hundreds of years but it was finally given to the Bishop of Bayeux in 1792. It now hangs in the museum at Centre Guillaume le Conquerant, Rue de Nesmond, Bayeux, France. The tapestry holds a wealth of information from the depiction of the death of Edward, from his wife cradling his feet in her lap to Harold trying desperately to pull an arrow from his eye. The tapestry also provides an insight into the battle itself, the lives of the people, their trades and how they earned their living.

William the Conqueror was crowned King of England on Christmas Day 1066. In 1086, he sent his scribes throughout England to document every village and town, every inhabitant, their homes, barns, livestock against which a tax could be levied. As the information documented, the scribes entered the information into a large book. The people of England were so afraid of this development they called it the Domesday Book after God’s final Day of Judgment. The Domesday Book measured land by “hundreds,” meaning a parcel was large enough to support 100 families. Each family unit was called a “hide,” but the actual size was vague and varied from county to county. For instance, a hide in Sussex was about 40 acres and in East Anglia it was about 120 acres.

What to see and do today:

The town is a bustling, busy place with a 14th-century majestic gatehouse at the entrance to the town. It is still intact and almost appears to be a small fortress from the octagonal turrets and narrow windows suitable for firing arrows at opponents. Besides the wonderful gatehouse and the ruins of the abbey beyond, there are an abundance of antique and specialty shops in the town.

Battle Abbey

The gatehouse is considered one of the finest in the country and replaced an earlier gatehouse on the same site. It was built in 1338 by Abbott Retlynge and is complete with double archways, ribbed vaulting and portcullis through which the soldiers could defend their stronghold. The abbey fell during the Reformation under King Henry VIII, but part of it is now used as a school.

A tour of the Abbey ruins is assisted by an audiovisual account of the Battle of Hastings. The actual site of the battlefield between Harold and William the Conquerors’ armies on Senlac Ridge is still clearly visible. The spot where King Harold died is indicated by a plaque stating, “…the victory of Duke William on 14 October 1066, the high altar was placed to mark the spot where King Harold died…”

There are many events held in and around the town of Battle. Call the Battle Tourist Information Center for more details.

Telephone: (0) 1424 773721. Address: High Street, Battle.

1066 Country Walks

The 1066 walk takes in the towns of Pevensey, Rye and Battle. There are links with other coastal villages and towns such as Bexhill-on-Sea and Hastings. The 1066 Country Walk is segmented into four parts allowing individuals to choose a walk as to their ability and interest. There are several brochures that can be obtained from the Battle Tourist Information of the walks, restaurants and even accommodation along the way.

Telephone: (0) 1424 773721. Address: High Street, Battle.

Museum of Local History

The museum is small but has some wonderful attractions. A copy of the Bayeux Tapestry, a battle scene of the fateful day on 1066, a copy of the Domesday Book as well as other interesting and unique items. There is also a history of the gunpowder industry that was so important to the livelihood of the town.

The restaurant was built in the 14th century and was once an almshouse where the monks from the abbey distributed alms to the poor and gave spiritual guidance. It has changed hands and uses over the centuries but now provides wonderful meals to visitors. The specialties of the house are the savory pies, such as chicken and leek and steak and onion pies with a light and delicious crust. They are served with mountains of mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables. They also offer a splendid assortment of cakes, tarts and fruit pies that are homemade. The Pilgrim’s Rest is located next to the gatehouse.

Telephone: 01424 772314. Address: 1, High Street, Battle.

If you decide to stay:

The George Hotel

The George is an elegant 19th-century coaching hotel located in the center of the town and is ideally situated for sightseeing in Battle and the surrounding areas. The inn has an unusual oval, spiral staircase and 22 guest rooms, some with bathrooms en suite, a licensed bar and restaurant. Morning coffee and afternoon tea is also served.

Telephone: (0) 1424 774466. Address: 23 High Street, Battle.

How to get there:

There is train service to Battle from London Bridge station.

By car: Take A21 south out of London to John’s Cross, where you take the A2100 to Battle. Battle is approximately 62 miles away from central London.

April 27, 2009

Visiting Munich? Want to see something special? Here's a complete chapter from the new Seventh Edition of my guidebook Daytrips Germany (2009) that describes just that. Enjoy!

Trip 2

Munich

(München, Muenchen)

Nymphenburg

Another fascinating excursion to make while in Munich is a delightful half-day stroll through the Nymphenburg Palace and its surrounding park. This summer home of the Wittelsbachs is one of the most splendid royal palaces of Europe, in many ways outshining their downtown Residenz itself.

Begun in 1664 as a simple Italianate villa, Nymphenburg gradually expanded over the next century and a half as succeeding generations added their own ideas of how royalty should live. In much the same way as Versailles, the main palace is only part of the attraction. Hidden among the trees is an absolute jewel of a hunting lodge and several intriguing pavilions. The formal gardens are dazzling, while the Carriage Museum, Botanical Gardens, Natural History Museum, and Royal Porcelain Factory all add their share of interest.

GETTING THERE:

Take route U-1 or U-7 of the U-Bahn subway to Rotkreuzplatz. Here you change to streetcar #17 in the direction of Amalienburg Strasse, getting off at the Schloss Nymphenburg stop.

By Car, follow Arnulfstrasse from the main train station to Roman Platz, which is very close to the palace.

PRACTICALITIES:

Schloss Nymphenburg is open daily all year round, but note that the smaller pavilions are closed in winter. Fine weather will greatly enhance this trip. For more information contact the Munich tourist office listed in the previous chapter.

You will get a good view of the palace complex from the streetcar stop (1) on Notburgastrasse. Walk along the ornamental canal to the central building and purchase a combined ticket for the Schloss, Carriage Museum, and the park pavilions.

Enter the Palace (2) and step into the Great Hall (Steinerner Saal), a vast room of rococo splendor. The ceiling frescoes, full of allegorical references, are well worth a detailed examination. Stroll through the gorgeously decorated north wing, noting the gallery with the paintings of Nymphenburg as it appeared in the 1720s.

For most visitors, however, the south wing is more interesting. Here you will find King Ludwig I's famous Gallery of Beauties — 36 paintings commissioned by the king of the most beautiful women of his time. Included in the group is the notorious Lola Montez, an Irish-born "Spanish" dancer who ultimately became his undoing. At the ripe old age of 60 the king took her as his latest mistress, an act that did not sit well with the conservative Bavarians, and which was partly responsible for his forced abdication in 1848. Poor Lola was sent into deepest exile — the far-off United States, where she entertained folks from New York to California. Today she lies buried in Brooklyn.

Close to this is the bedroom in which Ludwig II, the "mad" king, was born on August 25th, 1845. You will probably be meeting up with him, or at least his creations, several times during your Bavarian adventures.

Other particularly interesting rooms nearby include the South Gallery, with its paintings of various Wittelsbach properties, and the Chinese Lacquer Room.

Leave the palace and walk out into the gardens. The part facing you, laid out in a formal manner, is called the Large Parterre (3). Statues of mythological gods adorn the paths leading to the fountain.

Follow the trail on the left to *Amalienburg (4), an exquisite hunting lodge in the rococo style by Cuvilliés. Its exterior is rather restrained, but once inside you will be treated to a visual feast. The most sumptuously decorated room here is the circular Hall of Mirrors. The Pheasant Room, kitchen, and bedrooms are also outstanding.

A path leads through the trees to the Dörfchen, a tiny group of cottages reminiscent of the hameau at Versailles. The nearby 18th-century pump house still works the big fountains in the parterre. Continue on to the Badenburg (5), an elegant bath house complete with a banquet hall and a luxurious indoor swimming pool. The trail now follows along the side of a lake to the Monopteros, a little love temple on the water's edge.

The elaborate Cascade (6) marks the beginning of the main canal. Stroll through the woods beyond to the Pagodenburg (7), an octagonal tea pavilion whose upper floor is decorated in Chinese motifs.

Returning in the direction of the palace brings you to the Magdalenenklause (8), also called the Hermitage. A refreshing change after all the splendor, this at first seems to be in a state of ruin. Don't be deceived — it was built that way in 1725 for the private meditations of the ruler; the appearance of poverty then being very fashionable. The interior contains a strange chapel in the form of a grotto, and unadorned rooms where the ceremonies of court life could be avoided.

Continue through the ornamental gardens and exit the grounds via a passageway under the palace. To the right, in the south wing, is the Carriage Museum (Marstallmuseum) (9). Here the state coaches and sleighs of the Wittelsbachs are on display, including the utterly fantastic ones used to transport Ludwig II on his nocturnal escapades. On the floor above this is Museum of Nymphenburg Porcelains.

The north wing of the palace is now occupied by the Museum Mensch und Natur (Museum of Man and Nature) (10), which concerns itself with the history of mankind’s role on Earth and its impact on the environment. Admission to this is separate from the palace. T: (089) 179-080. Open Tues.-Sun. 9-5. €.

The New Botanical Gardens(Botanischer Garten) (11), slightly to the north of Nymphenburg on Menzinger Strasse, provide a delightful end to this trip. Various climates of the world are skillfully re-created and planted with appropriate flora in this wonderful landscape of natural beauty. T: (089) 1786-1310, W: botmuc.de. Open daily 9-5, 6, or 7, closing earlier in winter. The hothouses close between noon and 1 p.m. €.

On the way back to the streetcar stop (1) you may want to pause at the Royal State Porcelain Factory (12), where Nymphenburg porcelain is still made to traditional rococo designs and may be purchased from the factory.

P.S.

You might possibly have a déjà-vu experience here, if back in the 1960s you thrilled to that enigmatic 1961 film Last Year at Marienbad (L'année Dernière á Marienbad) by French director Alain Resnais. Especially the garden scene where the leading characters cast long shadows while the trees and bushes cast none. Were they really there? Did this place actually exist? It was filmed here, and the outdoor scenes done at high noon when there were no shadows; the shadows of the people were painted on the ground.

April 23, 2009

There has never been another photographer like Richard Avedon(1923-2004), who revolutionized fashion imagery, elevated portraiture to the level of high art, and was perhaps the most successful advertising photographer of all time. To be near him was to experience sheer genius.

Back in 1995 the Public Broadcasting System presented a 90-minute documentary on his life as part of their "American Masters" series. Although I had seen it at the time — and was impressed — it somehow got forgotten as I busied myself on a travel writing career. Then in February of this year I was interviewed for Vanity Fair Magazine about my former connections with Avedon, and the desire to once again view this marvelous show became overwhelming. Netflix didn't have it, so I ordered the DVD from Amazon.

Now, this disc has been out of print for a while, so you must really want it and be willing to pay a rather hefty price, or buy it used. It is, after all, a collector's item, but for anyone serious about photography it's worth every penny.

The show opens with scenes of his hanging an exhibition in a major art museum, during which he explains his motivations along with his demons. Avedon (photo, left) always strove to be a creator, not an observer, always completely in control of each session. In this way he differs from other famous photographers who report life or capture images. Avedon created images from his fertile imagination, then set about getting them on film much as a movie director creates a motion picture.

The video then jumps to his early work in fashion, focusing on his first Paris couture collection in 1946. World War II was over, and Paris was alive once again with its reinvigorated fashion industry. Dick and his first wife, Doe, rode in from the airport in an open-top taxi, standing up and drinking champagne along the way. And what photos he produced for Harper's Bazaar magazine! No one had ever put this much life — this much joie de vivre — into fashion before. Distinguishing his images are the stories they tell, like scenes from a novel or gossip column.

Avedon's work was influenced, first of all, by the Hungarian-born photographer Martin Munkácsi, who had also worked for the magazine in the 1930s. He regarded three people at the magazine as his true mentors: Carmel Snow, the editor; Alexey Brodovitch, the innovative art director; and Diana Vreeland (photo, left), the fashion editor who Dick thought of as his crazy aunt.

In another chapter the video explains his use of motion and storyline to present fashions. In doing this, however, he never forgot the dress. It always looked great. To inspire his models he would sometimes dance along with them (photo, right), using them more as actresses than as clotheshorses.

By the early 1960s he had gone about as far as he could go without endlessly repeating himself. So it is not surprising that his passions then shifted to portraits and reportage. The mid-decade switch to Vogue magazine was really commercial in nature — for them he produced beautifully constructed and sophisticated fashion photos that in turn attracted the most lucrative advertising assignments.

One important aspect of the video is that it does not just focus on his fashion and portrait photography, but explores some of his advertising work as well. Particularly striking is the TV commercial he did for Coco Perfume. In this, as in his other commercial work, it's never about the product, but totally about having the product — what is being sold is a feeling, not an item. Avedon was no purist in any sense of the word. He explains why he put so much effort into his advertising work by stating that "it's fun, and the food is good," and that it supported his other, more serious, work. He also made no apologies for making money and living very, very well, as his Manhattan town house and Montauk country home suggest.

In doing his portraiture, Avedon cast himself as a hunter who could see right through people, latching on to their hidden essence through careful observation of their faces. He would then guide (or manipulate, or trick) them into revealing their true selves. Had he not taken up photography, he might have become a great fortune teller.

In photographing other people he, in a sense, was really looking at himself, trying to find the darkness and light of his own existence. Yet he always remains the one in control — they are his pictures, not the subjects'. This becomes most clear in what he considered to be his best body of work, the long series of portraits of drifters, loners, laborers and losers taken between 1979 and 1983 and presented in museums and as a book under the title "In The American West."

Avedon was surely the first fashion photographer to declare himself to be a serious artist, at the same level as painters and sculptors. And he did it loudly and very publicly. That this was not always well received is an understatement, but it was his self-promotion that got his work into world-class museums, created his fame, and — most important — opened the way for other photographers to also be recognized as true artists.

In the end we visit his country home near Montauk, at the eastern end of New York's Long Island. Here he grew apples and raised chickens when not busy with more photographic projects.

All in all, the video tells us a lot about Richard Avedon, and about photography as an art. For those who didn't know him it is a revelation; for those who did a marvelous remembrance of a true master.

P.S.

Although the flick covers his entire career as a photographer from 1947 until the time of production in 1995, he continued working right up until the day of his death in 2004. I worked for him from 1952 through 1956, and again from 1959 through 1965, the last 3½ years as studio manager. Some of the highlights of those ten years that involved me and that are featured on the video are:

(click on underlined words for the full story)

Marilyn Monroe, 1954. This was the first time he photographed her, although the more famous photos were done a few years later. What made it memorable for me, a drooling teenager at the time, was being right there next to her, having her ask me if I wanted her autograph and a message to me on the photo mount, and having a news picture of her with me appear in a cheap fan magazine soon afterwards!

The Astronauts, 1961. Only the photo of Alan Shepard appears in the video, but we did all three original astronauts that day at NASA Headquarters, Langley Field, Virginia. Just about everything that could go wrong did, including a power failure and having to drive back to New York through a terrible storm that night. But the pictures were great.

The Paris Collections, 1962. This gets prominent coverage on the video because it was so shocking. Inspired by incessant press coverage of a romance between Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor while making the film Cleopatra, and by the depiction of paparazzi in the film La Dolce Vita, Avedon combined the talents of Mike Nichols and Suzy Parker to treat coverage of the 1962 Fall Collections in Paris as a gag.

The D.A.R., 1964. One of Avedon's iconic photographs, featured in several of his books, museum exhibitions, and on the video, is this hilarious treatment of the Generals of the Daughters of the American Revolution, taken in the ballroom of the Mayflower Hotel, Washington D.C. He had no love for these ladies, and we had just come from photographing the stormtroopers of the American Nazi Party in Virginia. I actually operated the camera, which was mounted on a tripod, on this frame — on his whispered instructions as he busied himself arranging the ladies in postion for a formal group portrait. Dick then took the serious pictures, but this was the one that was used.

Former President Eisenhower, 1964. Dick and I flew out to Palm Springs, California in early 1964, staying at the Racquet Club for a few days while arrangements were made to photograph the former President at his home on a golf course. He was a very genial host, and could not have been more cooperative. In most of the frames he appears as his friendly self; in the choosen one a bit pensive.

Santa Monica Beach, 1964. Avedon wandered around the beach alone at dusk with a 35mm Pentax SLR camera, shooting candids of touching scenes. He also grossly underexposed the film in the fading last light. When the films were developed, there were no visible images of the final frames on them, but he insisted that I try to make prints. Using every darkroom trick I knew, I eventually pulled these ghostly images, which actually are more effective than they would have been if properly exposed. I emphasized the grain by using a pin-point lamp head on the enlarger. Opposite the photo in the book Nothing Personal were these words by author James Baldwin: "The sea rises, the light fails, lovers cling to each other, and children cling to us. The moment we cease to hold each other, the moment we break faith with one another, the sea engulfs us and the light goes out."

Some other famous sessions on the video that were from my time with Avedon but on which I was not present are:

Charlie Chaplin, 1952. Saturday, September 13. Avedon received a call at home from Chaplin, who asked if he could have his picture taken right away. Naturally, Dick was thrilled and hurried off to the Madison Avenue studio for a private sitting with no assistants. The result was a stunning photo of Chaplin giving his farewell gesture to America — hours later he was safely onboard a ship bound for Britain, having escaped the clutches of the Immigration Service after being denounced by the F.B.I. as a communist sympathizer.

The Windsors, 1957. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII of England and Wally Simpson of Baltimore, always put on a happy face for the press, and tried to do that again. But Avedon outsmarted them by inventing a story about how on the way to the studio his taxi had just run over a dog and killed it. They reacted with a look of pain and sorrow, captured for all time by Dick's quick thinking.

t's a shame that this fine video has been discontinued by the manufacturer due to limited demand. In the past this was understandable as a fairly large number of copies had to be made and kept in inventory, but this is no longer true. Amazon now has a program through their CreateSpace subsidiary of producing DVDs on demand, one at a time as they are ordered. This is similar to the way my books have been printed for the last few years, as I described in this 2006 posting.

NEW:

Photography's Golden Age ended long ago but remains very much alive in my memory. From 1952 through 1965 I assisted Avedon through his most creative period, and do I ever have the stories to tell! Now, at the end of 2015, is the time to reveal all while I'm still alive and kicking. Tales of personalities, motivations, intrigues, and even the fine details of how it was all done.

What I need to make this project a reality is a co-conspirator to aid in getting the whole, true, uncensored story published -- either as a book, an e-book, or a documentary.

April 14, 2009

Quite by accident back in 1975 I stumbled upon a fascinating and endlessly enjoyable travel guide entitled Turn Left at the Pub — and it changed my life. At that time I was bored and looking for something new to do, something to do with travel, and possibly something to do with making travel movies for cable TV. I had already made some films of our adventures in Japan, Australia, Tahiti, and all over Europe while on photo assignments for Pan Am, and had done a particularly nice one while sailing the Greek Islands with some friends. These were mostly shot with a Nikon Super 8 camera, and some with a Kodak Ektasound camera.

In search of inspiration I visited a travel bookstore on New York’s Madison Avenue around 35th Street, looking for unusual guides to offbeat places. One practically screamed out to me. This was Turn Left At The Pub: 22 Walking Tours Through The British Countrysideby George W. Oakes, first published in 1968 and revised in 1974 (and revised again in 1998). It described, in step-by-step detail, a series of 24 one-day walking tours in England, mostly to unusual destinations not covered in conventional guides. My cup of tea exactly, as I love to walk and love poking around in strange places.

So I equipped myself with a used pro-level Beaulieu Super 8 camera with a huge zoom lens, and a high-quality Sony tape recorder for “wild” sound capture. Then I took off for a month’s stay in Britain, installing myself in a cheap hotel in London’s Kensington district.

My first destination was to Sevenoaks, easily reached by rail from London’s Charing Cross Station in some 40 minutes. From there it was a stroll of about a mile to one of Britain’s grandest stately homes, the 15th-century Knole House(old Illustration, left). Built on the site of an earlier mansion, it is called a "calendar house" owing to its having 365 rooms, 52 staircases, 14 entrances, and 7 courtyards. Originally home to the Archbishop of Canterbury, it was seized by King Henry VIII in 1538. Twenty-eight years later, Queen Elizabeth I gave it to her cousin Thomas Sackville, whose descendants have lived there ever since. One of these, the writer Vita Sackville-West, wrote the definitive guide to the place in 1922. Her friend Virginia Woolf answered with Orlando, an acclaimed 1928 novel based on the house and its family. Inside the house are treasures of 17th-century royal furniture, along with paintings by Van Dyck, Gainsborough, and Reynolds, plus magnificent copies of the Raphael Cartoons.

However, the splendid interior tour was nothing compared to the joyful country walk that followed.

It was nearly six miles to the next destination, but what bliss! First, I passed a cricket pitch, then stables, slaughterhouses, breweries, workshops, and other estate outbuildings. A narrow road continued uphill, affording a wonderful view of Knole House before crossing a golf course. Herds of deer grazed here, and there was a pond and a farm house. Chestnut Walk led through woods to Bitchet Green, then a public footpath went through an orchard and followed a small stream past oast houses.

I now arrived at Ightham Mote (photo, below), a 14th-century fortified manor house so well preserved that to step inside is to find yourself back in the Middlle Ages. It is surrounded by a defensive moat and iron gates. At the time of my visit the place was still considered to be haunted by the ghost of a woman whose skeleton was — according to the story — found bricked up inside a wall of the banqueting hall. This has since been pretty well disproved, but the whole house still has a ghostly feel about it. Outside, white swans presented by the Queen glide across ponds fed by a waterfall next to woods.

A walk of under a mile took me to the hamlet of Ivy Hatch, where I relaxed over a pint or so at a colorful pub called The Plough. After that, a short walk ended at a main road at which I got a bus ride back to Sevenoaks, then a train to London. All in all, a glorious day of exploration and healthy excercise.

The movie project never did work out as I found it to be much more than I could handle, but the experience itself started me on a new career as a travel writer, really changing my life in profound ways.